Bary Family (1887-1979). Papers, 1920-2023.

The Bary family most likely traces back to Latvia. The Family resided predominantly in Europe until Benjamin Moses Bary (c. 1817-1883) became subject to accusations of treason from the government of Tsar Alexander II (1818-1881; reign from 1855-1881). The family was forced into exile, allegedly avoiding permanent exile to Siberia. The Bary family led by parents Benjamin Moses Bari (Bary) and Henrietta S. Kahn, moved to Zurich, Switzerland and later Detroit, Michigan. The lives of descendants of the Bary Family, including Woldemar Bary, Constantine W. Bary, and more are detailed throughout the collection.

Woldemar A. Bary was born in 1887 and raised in Moscow, Russia, where his father, an American engineer, worked for the Tsar. After the outbreak of the Russian Revolution, the Bary family was involved in the White Army resistance, which tried to restore power to the emperor but was put down by the Bolsheviks. Consequently, Bary was forced to flee to the United States dressed as a woman (other parts of this collection detail the treacherous journey his relatives faced in escaping Russia). For many years, Bary worked with fellow Russian immigrant Igor Sikorsky as the vice-president of Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation. Bary was married first to a woman named Nina.Later, he moved from New York to Pennsylvania, where he met and married his second wife, Valentina. They lived together with Bary’s sister until her and Bary’s death in 1979. Afterwards, Valentina lived with close family-friends, the DeYoungs, in Holland, Michigan, until her death in 2002.